Eclectic is the word I would use to describe Archinect news in October: Bizarre lawsuits, advanced mapping algorithms and meticulous light displays were among the subjects of our most popular posts this month.

↑ Gaudi's Sagrada Familia fined $41 million for lack of building permit

Arguably the most famous building currently under construction, La Sagrada Familia, found itself in hot water this October when it was determined that it did not have the proper building permits for its century-old site. The church's trustees conceded to paying $41 million in fees over a 10-year period, so that the city can fund public transportation, increase accessibility, and make other improvements to the surrounding area.  

↑ Muji's apartment prototype tackles long commutes and highly dense cities

Muji is a design company closely associated with small-scale minimalist objects, but in October the brand demonstrated their skills know no bounds. Equipped with an open communal space and kitchen, the Muji furnished apartment would have a balance of work functionality and privacy. The upper level of the space would mimic a lofted canopy design that would create a reimagined second story.

↑ The New York Times uses neural network to map every building in the U.S.

This October's New York Times Sunday paper came with a four-page fold-out of every building in Los Angeles County, courtesy of a neural network. Given its ability to analyze satellite imagery, the team's program traced the shape of buildings across the country. Users were able to go online to enter a city, zip code, or address, and explore these areas in detail. 

↑ Architect David Romero brings Frank Lloyd Wright's unbuilt designs to life in these realistic renderings

Out of the 1,171 architectural designs that Frank Lloyd Wright created in his lifetime, around 660 of them remained unbuilt. Using advanced visualization techniques, architect David Romero brings Wright's unbuilt designs one step closer to reality in a series of striking, computer-generated renderings. 

↑ Studio Daniel Libeskind's MO Modern Art Museum in Vilnius opens to the public

The Studio Daniel Libeskind-designed MO Modern Art Museum in central Vilnius opened its doors to the public in October. At 3,100 m2, the building — which is also Lithuania's largest private museum — houses nearly 5,000 never-before-seen works by Lithuanian artists from the mid-20th century to the present. Studio Libeskind teamed up with locally based Do Architects and Baltic Engineers for the project.

↑ Walt Disney Concert Hall lights up over the weekend with projections by Refik Anadol

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the LA Phil has put on quite the birthday extravaganza, including a series of vibrant projections from Refik Anadol. The local media artist used 45 terabytes of data derived from the Phil's archive to create a series of patterns then projected on the exterior of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Called 'WDCH Dreams', the media installation lit up the iconic Frank Gehry building for nine nights. 

↑ Heatherwick Studio's Coal Drops Yard opens its doors to the public

It seems to always be a celebration in the architecture community whenever a building is completed by Heatherwick Studio, the firm that straddles the line between architecture, engineering and design most effectively. In October, the London-based studio revealed their transformation of two heritage rail buildings from the 1850s into a lively retail district. The goal for Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, was to highlight the existing architectural elements while satisfying the new needs of a new urban development. 

↑  Norway's new bank notes designed by Snøhetta come into circulation

Norway has launched the country's new 50 and 500 kronor notes into circulation. Designed by Snøhetta, the revamped currency will join the graphic 100 and 200 notes launched in 2017 that were also penned by the firm as part of Norway's paper currency redesign.

↑ Peter Zumthor completes his first permanent building in the UK: the brutalist Secular Retreat

The first of two brutalist vacation homes to debut in October, Peter Zumthor's Secular Retreat is a five-bedroom abode. The building is part of the growing Living Architecture vacation home portfolio, which also includes MVRDV's Balancing Barn and Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects's Dune House (both in collaboration with Mole Architects) as well as a quirky cottage in Essex by FAT Architecture and Grayson Perry.

↑ Alejandro Arevena's alluring concrete vacation home

Pritzker Prize-winner Alejandro Aravena used the Chilean landscape of Coquimbo to create a weekend home with dramatic appeal and a moody ancient beauty. The vacation home is comprised of three large concrete volumes specifically stacked one against the other. Sitting on a hilltop overlooking the Chilean coast, the home at first glance exudes an "ancient"-looking quality. 

↑ #ArchinectMeets @the_architecture_photographer

In October, we spoke to Paul Eis (@the_architecture_photographer), an architecture student and photographer based in Linz, Austria. His consistently colorful Instagram portfolio is a clever response to the monotonous social housing blocks in East Berlin; where they were uniformly grey, Eis made them multiply colorful. Where they were crumbling, ruinous and apparently indifferent to watching eyes, Eis meticulously transformed them to the delight of a growing audience.

↑ Richard Meier steps down

After months of criticism and speculation, Richard Meier stepped down from his position at Richard Meier & Partners Architects. Meier, 83, had been taking a leave of absence since March this year after accusations of sexual harassment were brought forward by five women—four of whom had previously worked with Meier.